It’s been quite a ride for local beer fans over the last 10 years as Oahu’s craft brewing industry continues to flourish.
New players like Beer Lab HI, Honolulu Beerworks and Aloha Beer Co. have joined established producers on Maui, Kauai and Hawaii island to brew more than 69,500 barrels of beer in 2017, according to the national Brewers Association. (That’s about 2 gallons of beer per person over 21 years old.)
Hawaii’s brewing heritage dates back to the turn of the 20th century, when Honolulu Brewing and Malting Co. introduced Primo Lager in 1901. The modern brewing era got its start in 1994, when Cameron Healy and his son, Spoon Khalsa, founded Kona Brewing Co. Over the next 25 years, Kona Brewing established itself at the forefront of the craft-beer movement, offering customers a taste of “Liquid Aloha” with offerings like Big Wave Golden Ale, Longboard Island Lager and Fire Rock Pale Ale.
“I started Kona Brewing Co. back in 1994 to fill a gap,” Healy said. “At that time there was no local craft brewery in Hawaii.”
The brewery celebrated its staying power Saturday, hosting a 25th-anniversary celebration at its brewing facility in Kailua-Kona.
Kona Brewing was sold in 2010 to the Craft Brew Alliance — made up of brands Redhook, Widmer Brothers, Omission Beer and Square Mile Cider, and partially owned by distribution partner Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Some might perceive that move as selling out, but Kona Brewing viewed the acquisition as an opportunity to keep growing nationwide. The company’s brewing and bottling take place on the mainland, while all draught kegs sold in the state are produced in Hawaii.
And the company is doubling down on efforts to cement its legacy on the Big Island, getting ready to open a new, state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot brewery in Kailua-Kona at a price tag of $20 million, which will boost its local production capacity to 100,000 barrels per year.
Along with the new brewery, Kona Brewing will celebrate its landmark year by donating more than $120,000 to a number of Hawaii-based nonprofit organizations, plus an additional $25,000 contribution to the Hawaii island-based Ke Kai Ala Foundation, which supports youth, environmental and cultural programs.
Healy said he was pleased to see that values of sustainability and community support continue to be a “core driving force of this company.”
A number of anniversary events are scheduled on the mainland, as well. Limited-edition merchandise, artwork and clothing will be sold, and the company will launch its first-ever sweepstakes to give fans on the mainland a chance to visit the brewery in Kona.
“The climate, local agriculture and community (in Kona) has and still shapes the recipes our brewers create,” said Kona Brewing marketing manager Eric Chang. “We embrace the growth we’ve enjoyed and look forward to continued growth as it allows us to get more of our beer to more people in an efficient, less wasteful way.”
Kona Brewing’s Innovation Brewmaster, Ryan McVeigh, has also developed a beer in celebration of the anniversary. The Hibiscus Brut IPA, despite its fruit-forward profile, clocks in at a pretty potent 8.2 percent alcohol by volume. Highly carbonated and made with Nelson Sauvin and Hallertau Blanc hops, the Hibiscus Brut has a light rose color and will be available at Kona Brewing sites on Oahu and Hawaii island on March 4, with a national rollout planned for the fall.
